ALL STATE BALLOTING

For the past several years, the Deseret News has used coaches balloting in selecting its all-state teams.

The balloting process allows for each school and each region to be represented. Deseret News sport writers are limited by time, deadlines and distances from being able to watch all the teams and players in the state.However, coaches become better aware of a larger cross-section of the state's teams and talent in scouting and preparing for opponents, playing preseason and regular-season games, and participating in postseason tournaments.

Ballots are mailed near the end of the regular season to the boys and girls basketball coaches at each of Utah's 105 high schools. Coaches are asked to fill out their first- and second-team selections, plus five honorable-mention players from their own region and return the ballot to the Deseret News.

Votes are then tabulated and broken down into the first- and second-team all-state squads and honorable-mention honorees.

This year, 121 ballots of the 204 total mailed out were returned (a return average of 59 percent), with a total of 456 players receiving votes. The breakdown of returned ballots by regions is as follows: